Rocker Ryan Adams faces #MeToo accusations: New York Times reports

Updated 1 week ago; Posted 1 week ago

Ryan Adams performs on the Gentilly Stage during the first Saturday of the New Orleans Jazz Fest presented by Shell at the Fairgrounds in New Orleans, Saturday, April 25, 2015. (Photo by Ted Jackson, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune)

Ryan Adams, whose musical career has hovered between Americana and latter-day punk is the subject of a scathing New York Times story that paints him as a predator of aspiring female musicians, including a teenage singer that he allegedly stalked online. Adams denies the allegations.

“In interviews, seven women and more than a dozen associates described a pattern of manipulative behavior in which Adams dangled career opportunities while simultaneously pursuing female artists for sex,” reads a damning passage from the story. Adams former wife Mandy Moore is quoted as saying “Music was a point of control for him.”

Adams’ public persona fits the rock and roll mythos. He has been widely celebrated for his song-writing talents and taste as a producer, but he’s also been accused of petulance and a self-destructive career plunge.

In 2015, during an otherwise satisfying New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival performance, Adams was reportedly flustered because he finished his planned set long before the Gentilly stage was scheduled to close and had to scramble to fill in a few more minutes.

During last years’ Jazz Fest, Adams and producer Don Was led an ensemble of New Orleans musicians in an after-hours concert at the Saenger Theatre during which the group covered the Rolling Stone’s classic “Exile on Main St.”